When we were half way up Sheba’s Breast, huffing and puffing, totally out of breath since out of shape, but enjoying it, we thanked our lucky stars that we had not tried the ascent the previous day at noon. At 10 o’clock in the morning, the sun was blistering hot already and no shade anywhere! We finished our two bottles of water in no time. But we did make it to the summit, sat there, red, sweaty and happy and had a picknick. I almost did not make it back down again. Bridging the gap between the main slope and the rock, which marked the pinnacle had somehow seemed much easier on the way up! Arnaud with somewhat longer legs had to go first; then I was able to follow. Upon our descent we took a quick dip below the waterfall at the foot of the mountain, and then got on the road again.
Soon after leaving Ezulwini Valley, the road began to snake itself up the mountains in ever tighter curves. The views were breathtaking. Clear blue skies and green green fields and meadows in lush valleys between staggering heights of complex geological formations. We learned later that the amazing mountain ridge between Swaziland and South Africa is one of the oldest world-wide, 3 billion years, and every mountaineer’s dream. We were traversing them in our trusted Golf Chico…  Luckily this was the dry season. When we reached timberland, a vast area where fast-growing coniferous trees are grown and cut, the road changed into a sand track. Still steep, still serpentine, frequented by humungous work vehicles, just no tar. Our little car prevailed! We were not worried anyway: the sights were much too absorbing for us to notice anything else. We made it up and over the mountains under steady utterances of oohs and ahs and oh-my-goods. The ground was iron red, like bloodied rust. Dark green of endless exact rows of pencil-straight spruce-trees segmented a clear sky into an accurate pattern of cerulean to sunlit white. At times the stark black of burnt trunks would frame sudden open vistas exposing densely forested rows of summits fading into the distance. It was incredible. I kept the window rolled down trying to capture the splendor with our little camera but only succeeded in coating the interior of the car and us and all of our effects with a dense coat of blood-red dust. At one point we reached a boom with a guard, but it was not the border yet; just the beginning of a private road leading us up, up and farther north.
When we did reach the border with South Africa (we needed to get a special permit to take the car across the Mozambican border before doing so), the officials came running out of their station to laugh at us and our Golf, all of us covered in red dust. The way through the mountains had taken considerably longer than we had anticipated, and we now needed to make a mad dash to the Nelspruit airport car rental office before closing time. We got there just in time, received our permit, and rushed onwards. The border was supposed to be open only for about another hour before closing for the night. Just out of Nelspruit we had to take a very brief break, though, because there was a unique photo opportunity: a giraffe grazing by the side of the highway, unperturbed by the noise or stink. It was otherworldly. The sun had set when we reached a big toll plaza just a few miles before the border. Fumbling for money in my pockets I suddenly realized that we had no Rand left �" only Swaziland money and Dollars! No matter, we saw a sign that said credit cards were accepted. Alas, no American credit cards.
The toll booth attendant was very nice. He offered to drive to the next ATM with us, which was in some township about ten minutes away. There was only one problem: our car was filled to the brim �" no room for another passenger!
As I sat on the steps in front of the toll plaza, reading my book by the harsh glare of the highway lights, it occurred to me that I had no passport or money on me. When 40 minutes had passed and I was still waiting, I started to get a little nervous. What if something had happened? I decided everything would work out just fine. People were so nice. Surely somebody would help me out and drive me to the next German consulate wherever that was… I was still spinning this fantasy, when an electric blue streak on the periphery of my vision ripped me from my reverie. The Golf Chico! Arnaud! Hooray! I would not need to depend on the kindness of strangers after all. Along with the toll money (acquired from the only working ATM in some shady part of town), the kindly toll booth attendant had imparted some promising information: according to him, the Mozambique border was open well into the night! Arnaud put the pedal to the metal anyway, seeing as we still had a couple of hours to drive to Maputo where we would spend the night.
When we arrived at Fatima’s, Maputo’s famous backpackers, there was no availability at first. Then all of a sudden there was. It was a huge room, meant for six people who had not shown up. We got it for the going double rate.

The next morning, we had wanted to go on a hike, but got a late start and decided against braving the mountains in the midday heat. Instead we went to Manzini, the next larger town, where we browsed the big produce and crafts market and bought a number of small gifts. Everybody was very friendly and laid-back and wore fun-colored clothes. We had a simple but excellent meal of chicken, rice and vegetables cooked by one of a number of matrons servicing the large market cafeteria from small food stalls. I bought a rose colored pearl bracelet the vendor recommended to me on account of my being “Miss Pink”. In the evening we took a leisurely walk and went to bed early, determined to not miss our chance for a hike the next day before pressing on towards Mozambique.

Wake up at 6 am, breakfast at 7. On our little walk to the restaurant we spot four monkeys running between the rondavels. One of them is carrying a young. Cute.

At eight we leave for Swaziland. John the English bartender (barefoot as always) and the owner of the lodge are present to say goodbye, while five African women are singing for us in an undecipherable language, but is sounds happy and it probably means something like "Happy trails" or "See you again".

It's around ten o'clock when the bus pulls over and we're having a break at a very picturesque  spot. This particular lodge has won the prize for "Best lodge in South Africa" in three consecutive years. And we can see why. The building is cramped with tools and equipment from the old days and it took the owners ten years to gather these items from all over the world.

We're having coffee and milk cake on the raised wooden terrace (with a reed roof) outside. The view is magnificent: from our chairs we can overlook the Krokodil river that forms the southern border of the Kruger park, with birds and elephants bathing in the distance. At 1 pm lunch is served inside, and the sheer look at the food makes my mouth water. My pallet proves my nose and eyes right, it really is delicious.

It's not that far to the Swaziland border and when we get there everyone has to get off the bus and stand in line to get a South African "Departure" stamp in his passport. The 50 metres of nomansland we have to cross on foot and then we can stand in line to get a Swazi "Entrance" stamp. On the counter there are two dispensers with free condoms. This is one of the government measures against Aids, which is  a huge problem in Swaziland. 26% of the deaths here are caused by Aids, on the record. Off the record this percentage is much higher, but the people are ashamed of having someone with Aids in their families and therefore many people blame the death of their relative on cancer or malaria. Beside the roads we can read sloguns like "Sex is holy, do it with your wife only". That's very nice, but the king himself doesn't really set a good example: He has fifteen wives!!!

When we arrive at the lodge a man is waiting for us with a chameleon on his shoulder, we get free newspapers with special info for tourists, and then we get the keys to our rondavels. These rondavels look more modern when it comes to the use of building materials, but then again, there is no electricity. Hot water and gas are available though. After a quick shower (the water smells, so it's not suitable for brushing teeth) we walk to the waterhole where the wild animals should come to drink when the sun sets. The hippoes are unpredictable, but with some patience we get to see some action. A thirsty rhino also appears, carrying a bird on his back.

After dark, dinner is served in the open air restaurant of the lodge. Among the dishes there is for instance impala meat, which is very good. At nine the restaurant closes, the staff want to go home. Thank God we've brought a flashlight, without it we would've broken both our legs and we would never have found our rondavel again. Because of the lack of electric lighting we can't see what's three feet in front of us, there's just the black shroud of night. Next to our rondavel-door a petroleum lamp is shedding some guiding light. Two petroleum lamps inside make it possible to do the last things necessary before going to bed. The major disadvantage of these lightsources is that they do not only give light, but a lot of warmth as well. As soon as we don't need the light anymore we put the lamps out and go to sleep with the sound of crickets in the background.

We  get up at 5 am to go to the waterhole and watch the birth of a new day. When Trudy opens the curtains she stares an impala right in the face. The animal is caught off guard and dashes off, away from the rondavels and these scary upright walking creatures.

At 5.30 we're at the waterhole, but there is not much to see yet. A small group of impalas pose beautifully for my camera though. When we hear a deep grunting sound, a member of staff tells us that this is what lions sound like. The noise comes from the other side of the premises and we walk in the direction of the sound to try and spot the lion. But alas, our efforts are of no avail. When we reach the tiny barbwire fence on the other side of the lodge, the sound and the lion have disappeared. When we get back to the bench where we started off, some of our fellow travelers are sitting there. Still no animals to see, just the peace and quiet of the early morning and the tranquil sound of birds singing.

Before going back to our cabin (it has started drizzling) Cees and Anke congratulate Trudy with her birthday, the rest of our group will do this at breakfast. Back in our rondavel, Trudy lies down for a little while (because it is her birthday, so she says). It's cloudy and still nice and cool when I wake her up at 8.15, quite a difference compared to yesterday, when the temperature rose to 42 degrees Celsius during the day.

When walking to the restaurant for breakfast we spot ten rhinoes at the waterhole, from babies to very old pensioners. At times they are not more than 2 metres away, with only two pieces of barbwire between us and them. Impressive!

After breakfast and another little beauty nap, we have to be on the bus at 11 am. Manzini, a city where there is not much more than industry, is our destination for today. We're visiting a market which is mainly visited by locals for their daily groceries. A space is present where souvenirs are sold, but that doesn't take us long to browse through. Real life is what interests us, so off we go to the barbershop, where Jos has his beard trimmed and where a musician plays his guitar and makes his little puppets dance. After a while we walk into a small shop where medicinal herbs are sold. When I ask the owner whether I can take a picture or not, he stares at me as if I've gone completely mad. Who would ever want to take a picture of something completely ordinary like an pharmacy??

Even in a bigger city like Manzini, you don't really have to worry about your safety, crime is punished immediately. A pickpocket for instance will be caught by the people walking in the street, all you have to do is shout "Thief!!". He will then be brought to justice on the spot. But all in all the Swazis are very friendly and willing to help whenever you ask them.

We're having a very good lunch on the terrace of a restaurant next door to a place called Swazi Candles. The double thick milkshake honours its name, it's so thick we have to eat it with a spoon, instead of the straw that came with it. The people at Swazi Candles produce candles in every shape, form and colour by hand and we can walk through the little factory to watch the process.

At 3 pm we start our one hour drive back to the lodge. We want to go to the restaurant to have a drink, but the rhinoes, hippoes, impalas and elephants entertain us until 6.30, which is about dinner time. Before dinner Trudy buys everyone a drink, because it's her birthday today.

After dinner we get to see a traditional Swazi dance show, which is quite nice. The men are all bare chested, the women are wearing garments with a very large print of the king on them. At the end of the show (of course) we have to participate in the dancing. When the show is over the entire crew and all the instruments are packed onto a pickup truck and they disappear waving into the deep dark of the night.

When we walk back to our rondavel, at the waterhole 15 to 20 impalas are watching us, but because of the darkness, all we can see are the eerie reflections of their eyes.

Sondzela Backpackers is located in the midst of Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in Malkerns, Swaziland. Though it does not have the cleanest rooms, they are sufficient for the little time you will probably spend in it! There is also a pool for those really hot days. It is is walking distance of the park's rest camp, where you can book guided walks, horse rides, and game drives. Mlilwane is part of the Big Game Parks (Hlane and Mkhaya are the other too). Sondzela is also a stop for the Baz Bus which is a bus that runs all over South Africa, Swaziland, and part of Mozambique and drops travellers off directly at a hostel door.

We spent the entire morning having a play day with the children of a new community caled Zobodze. The missions team brought in inflatable castles and slides for the children to play on, we had face painting, played football (soccer), threw Frisbees, Christian music, etc.  I have never seen 200 happier children.  We loved on them, played with them and let them know that people love and care about them.   This new community is the location of a new center that has also just started being constructed.

While there I met a woman who was bound to a wheelchair in the community. As we talked, she requested money for food.  We were under strict direction to not give anyone money, but I told the missions team about her and they provided for her. What was fascinating was in the moments that followed, I met her children and her father, who was the elder in the community.  There were three (3) generations of people, Grandfather, Daughter, Grandchildren who have lived on that land and lived in poverty.  I knew I could do nothing more than greet them, pray for them, hug them and share the love of Christ with them.

That same afternoon was a time of relaxation with the team… it was our day to share time together and shop.  We had a beautiful lunch and a private lodge overlooking “Execution Mountain”. Sharing in fellowship, sharing in love, enjoying our last full day together.  We laughed and many cried.  Afterwards we went shopping for items to bring home and the local craft market.

After a peaceful rest back at the hotel, we headed off for another game park for dinner with the Missions Team from Children’ Cup and their families.  We were outside by a fire, wild animals coming into camp (Warthogs mostly, some impala, etc).  The evening was capped off with another wonderful local dance demonstration.  I just did not want the evening to end because it meant our last day was over and we would be heading back to Johannesburg and the missions trip complete. Out final act was to pray over the missions team from Children’s Cup… The they all laid hands on us and prayed for our continued missions work and for safe travels home.

Today was a craft and teaching day for the groups and their centers.  Since I purchased many cross necklace crafts, I was being sent to the Manguanini Center today.   We made paper plate fans and decorated them with foam stickers.  I think more stickers wound up on peoples faces and clothing than wound up in the fans…. But that was ok, the children loved the fun.  Then we made the cross necklaces. The teacher read the story about the beads and their meanings before we started.  Each child’s necklace was unique. Most did not follow the color instructions and made them how they wanted, which none of us really cared about. But each one proudly wore their new jewelry. We played and laughed and took more pictures until it was time to go to our next assignment.

Construction started today on a new center. Just like the other day we spent the entire morning digging a foundation… in addition we spent time building benches for children’ study in classrooms.

I t was long and tiring work but very rewarding. While we were working we could see women walking across a nearby field carrying their laundry. It appeared as though it was laundry day for the entire village who took time out to all go o the same place.

We all had lunch there before heading out to the picnic for the sponsored children.

I met Mnotfo at a local park in Mbabane. All of the children where brought there for us. They had KFC meals all ready for the children.  While they ate we shared time together and just loved on them. As I was sharing time with my new little friend, Ben our local missionary and the team translator came over to me to give me some background on him.  When the profile was written about his being sponsored he was living with his mother and sister, Well, unfortunately since that time his mother has died and his sister was taking care of him. Just recently his 12 year old sister Pepile was raped by local man which left her unable to take care of Mnotfo emotionally.  I inquired about Pepile’s status now and she has been taken in and sponsored by her teacher… essentially leaving Mnotfo as an orphan. This was not great news for me to hear right at the beginning of our meeting and getting acquainted but it set the framework for the rest of my day with him and how I would be interacting with him.   We shared a 1-way conversation.. I talked, he nodded his head.  We went and had our picture taken together and then made a picture frame for him to take home. After that we shared about 30 minutes in the park playing on the swings, teeter totter, slide, etc.  This is when he finally started opening up to me.  Ever new place he wanted to go he reached out his hand looking for mine and lead me to the next ride or area of the park for him to explore.   He also started talking to me…. I have no idea what he was saying, but did not matter.   He trusted me enough to allow his guard down and started warming up to me.  It was painful to look around and see him and all these other children starving for attention.  Some of them were orphans, some where living with a grandparent, who barely able to take care of themselves had to also take care of the child because both of his/her parents were dead.  Others were in single parent homes, mostly with just a mother because the father either abandoned them or has died of AIDS.  Our next adventure was to the mall for shopping. The basic school uniforms were covered in the cash we provided, but we got to help them pick out new school shoes and any other items. Each person was given 100 RAND to make the purchased of the other items.  Mnotfo wanted a new pair of sandals and a new shirt. He was so excited being in a store because he had never seen one before. In fact he had never been out of his community before this day.  He had never ridden in a bus, never seen a city, never seen stores, or even had KFC (which he really liked). He day finalized with all the sponsored children being taken to get ice cream…. Again it was a first for many of them. Then unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye…. Each of the children was loaded onto a specific bus to be taken home. Mnotfo was told to stay on the bus with me.  The drive was long and it was not long before Mnotfo was sound asleep in my arms. Talk about trust and being completely comfortable …..  I was in heaven, yet I was close to tears.

We reached his drop off point and I did not want to leave him there.  It was dirty and in a very bad area. I had no idea where he lived, where he was going, who would be taking him home or even if he knew his way home.  Out translator guide said to me that he would personally make sure Mnotfo would make it home safely. I hugged Mnotfo goodbye and I boarded the bus. That is when the tears started.. I heart ached for him and his situation… and yet there was nothing more that I could do for him, except pray.  The ride back to the hotel was not a nice one and was just filled with overwhelming emotions.

We all take everything we have for granted, the ability to shop were we want, eat at home or eat out, drive everywhere we go, have homes, two cars, vacation homes, etc, etc, etc…… they mostly have the clothing on their backs. No running water, no indoor pluming, no laundry machines or dryers, no cars, mostly live in 1 room straw and mud homes. We have no rights to complain when compared to the lives that these children live.

Swaziland is a small southern African country surrounded on three sides by South Africa. Its eastern border is with Mozambique. Although Swaziland is an independent country, culturally it has a lot in common with certain South African cultural groups like the Siswatis (who are basically Swazis living in SA) and the Zulus, who some would argue have their origins in Swaziland as well. Also like SA it has a huge rate of HIV/AIDS infection.

The only monarchy in southern Africa is found in Swaziland; currently it’s led by King Mswati III and his mother the Indlovukazi or "Great She-Elephant". King Mswati III has 13 wives – a new one is selected each year during the Reed Dance ceremony and added to the group. The Swazi Royal house is situated in Mbabane, which is also the nation’s capital. A king wouldn’t be a king in Africa without a crapload of livestock and the Swazi King is no exception. Everytime I drove past the Royal Residence on the brand-new modern 4-lane highway there were a few cows and goats wandering along beside the road.

I arrived in Mbabane after a six hour drive from Nelspruit, South Africa – which was in itself an adventure! I left Nelspruit in a rented Volkswagon Chico (see above for how it looked at the end of the trip!) around 1pm and headed for the Lebomba border post.

Earlier that day I read on a map hanging the Backpackers that this particular border post closed its doors at 4pm or 16h00 to be precise. I enquired about this before leaving and was informed by Nitto (Backpackers’ employee, guide and boyfriend of my friend Debs) that that was not the case and this border post was in fact open until 8pm or later. So I took his word for it and headed off figuring no matter what I would get there before 4 anyway.

After I was on the road less than an hour when things started to get interesting. There was tons of construction which slowed me down, steep and windy mountain roads which I was expecting – but the best part was that the last 40-50km of the journey was on unpaved roads. Surprise!

Unlike many other countries in the region, South Africa has very good roads and you basically have to be pretty deep in the boondocks to come across one that isn’t paved. When I arrived at this particular section workers were actually in the process of paving, or starting to anyway. I was confused to have so suddenly found myself off the asphalt, and I asked them if I was lost. They thought that was funny.

The road was pretty bumpy in some spots - much more so than in the photo - and my Chico was not exactly built for going off the beaten path. I was worried that any second I was going to lose a tire – or worse. So it was slow going. It was also pretty isolated, as it went through a timber farming area and no villages were to be seen even anywhere. I think I passed a total of three other cars going either way the whole time. The lack of traffic gave me a sneaking suspicion that the border post did close at 4pm after all – since this road ended there.

I rolled up to the border post office at exactly 4:10 to find the gates closed and locked (picture a tiny little building in the middle of the wilderness with nothing else around for miles). So it’s probably not hard to imagine how happy I was to see an SA border guard emerge and unlock the gate. He also confirmed that they did close at 4, and I had better hustle over to the Swazi side before they all went home. He didn’t have to tell me twice.

The Swazi border officials told me a car that passed me on the road told them I was on my way, so they waited for me! I thanked them and apologized profusely for making them stay after work. Then I discovered that I didn’t have enough money to pay the entrance fee. Ooops. They were really nice about this too and just let me in, giving me a map of Swaziland and a look that said, “you’re gonna need this.” I guess my planning for this trip was less than stellar…

The next leg went pretty smoothly until I got to Mbabane, where my luck ran out and I became hopelessly lost trying to find my accommodation – Grifter’s Backpackers. See a lot of Mbabane’s roads have recently been renamed, so when I stopped with my out-of-date directions printed off the internet, no one I asked had ever heard of any of the streets! Eventually I got there, but I was lost for a while. And in retrospect, I should have known better.

After the previous day’s driving adventures (and like 8 total hours driving) I was not excited to start again the next morning. But the handicraft shopping in Swaziland seemed just too good to pass up, and you need a car to get around to the various market spots in a reasonable amount of time. First I set out for Ngwenya Glass Factory, a locally owned and operated enterprise that manufactures hand-blown glass products, although I soon discovered I’d taken a wrong turn. Luckily this was not a “train-smash” and I ended up finding some good stuff at some roadside markets on the way back towards Mbabane. AND I also almost ran over what I’m pretty sure was a Black Mamba as it was crossing the road!

The Black Mamba

Eventually I found Ngwenya Glass Factory which was pretty cool, in my opinion, and definitely worth finding! Ngwenya Glass was started as a Swedish development project intended to benefit the local people by training them in glass-blowing and manufacturing skills which they could then use to earn an income.

And it actually worked – Swedish artisans came down, trained a bunch of people, helped them run the factory for a while and then pulled out leaving the whole thing to the Swazis. The factory has changed hands couple of times since the Swedish left but is now predominantly owned by the workers. They make all kinds of glass items from the usual wine glasses to various African animal figurines. Everything is done on site with recycled glass.

The next day it was back out on the craft trail again but this time in the opposite direction on the highway towards the Ezulwini Valley. I hit a few more roadside markets and Gone Rural, a local women’s cooperative that sells handwoven grass items like bowls, rugs, baskets, etc. Somewhere in that general area is another weaving co-op called Rosecraft, which specializes in wool products. I didn’t make it to the actual factory but did see an“outlet” or two and they had really nice stuff. The road through this part of Swaziland is probably the most “touristy” area I found. It was full of hotels – from backpackers to five star – spas, restaurants and even a golf course. The atmosphere in this area is quite different than in the rest of the country.

Donkeys in the Road

I left Mbabane about 10am on the following morning to begin my drive back to Durban. It took about 3 hours to get to the Swazi-SA border post, Lavumisa – almost going from one corner of the country to another. At Lavumisa one can cross into northern Kwa-Zulu Natal. Overall it was a pretty easy drive; the roads don’t have too many holes, there’s not a lot of traffic, and no where to get lost since there’s basically only one highway. There are a number of villages and small towns that the highway goes through, and instead of stoplights or stop signs to slow cars down – they have speed bumps – sometimes appearing out of no where with no warning whatsoever. BAM! I hate speed bumps.

We checked out of the crumby hostel this morning and waited for our hire car to arrive.  It did eventually - 90 minutes late, but it didn´t matter.  We loaded up and headed to Malandela´s, a craft village type thing where we had breakfast, checked emails and had a look around a few of the shops.  Next we went in search of the rare ATM´s in Swaziland, which turned out to be not so rare as we soon found one at a shopping plaza.  Off Diane went to get some money.  Now, in South Africa we were told to be aware of anything suspicious to do with ATM´s.  A question - Is a man with a big rifle stood behind you count as something suspicious?  A little alarming at first but we soon figured it was because the machine was being filled.

From here we went in search of the National museum and spent a little time looking around.  We also went across the road to look at the late king´s memorial and had a look at his statue.  The last king was the longest serving monarch of all time, reigning 61 years, and in that time with his many wives, he managed to have about 600 children, making a good contribution to the population.

Mid afternoon we checked into our accomodation for the next few days, a hostel in the middle of a wildlife reserve.  It was great - as we drove along the gravel road we passed zebras, impala, Nyala and warthogs.  These would be our neighbours for the next few days.  We booked into a rondavel overlooking the reserve and in the evening we ate our evening meal around the fire outside.

All this trip can be seen at:
http://www.haydenandcelia.com/Trips/Africa/Xmas04.php

First job today was hiring a car for tomorrow so we can do a bit of independant exploring. Then we went on a mission:  to go and get our Mozambique visas from the Mozambican Embassy in the capital of Swaziland, Mbane.  We were about to use public transport for the first time since arriving in Africa.  So we stood by the side of the road, flapping our arm like a one winged bird everytime we saw a white minivan.  We stopped two but neither were going to Mbane and we began to think it was us.  We returned to the hostel and explained our predicament, and this time someone gave us the right instructions.  Back out, and this time successful.  We got first in one minivan to a fruit market about 3km away, and straight into another to Mbane.  The second one was packed and also smelt a bit.  We couldn't work out why until we spotted a woman with a box on her knee containing chickens.  Finally we have shared a journey with a chicken - we can go home contented.

We got dropped off in the right place, found the embassy, filled in our forms and were told to return at 2pm.  So we found a nearby restaurant and had lunch while we waited.  Then it was back to the embassy, where a woman appeared at the gate to hand everyone their passports.  We are really looking forward to our trip into Mozambique - its coastline is apparently very beautiful, with a relaxed pace of life - and of course, Diane wants to soak up some sun and get a tan before returning home.

Today we started out construction project in “Mgomane”. It was about an hours drive from the hotel in Manzini, but that didn’t matter… we were there to work regardless of the distance.  We arrived to a greeting from the community and work began. This is a new center under construction and our job was to start digging the footings for the foundation. Wow, not easy work.  The ground is very hard and definitely not something that is easily worked.  Out came the pick axes and the shovels for four hours of digging. Our first official wildlife found was a poisonous tarantula.

When we were close to reaching the end our time there we split into separate teams and did a community walk to meet some of the locals.  We met one woman who’s husband had died. She had 8 children of her own and one grandchild living with her. She was so sad because in their society, a woman who looses a husband to death is considered unclean and needs to be purified. There is an 8 month waiting period where she must only wear black.  Once the waiting period is over there is a special ceremony that cleanses her.  The sad part is that she is unable to participate in any community activity until she is clean.  She was sad because she wanted to be there with us as the center helping to dig the foundation.

When our work was done there around noon, we headed to a pastors house and she prepared a lunch feast for us.  Chicken, steak, pork, sausage, pasta, veggies, dessert (mmmmm, Milktart)… but that is anther story.  We spent about 2 hours there sharing fellowship with the pastor before heading to Hlane Game Reserve.

Game Reserve:

Ok, imagine this…. driving into a game reserve and not knowing what to expect.  We reach the gate, travel  through with our two buses and stop in front of a series of stone, concrete and grass/straw roofed buildings.  Traditional in every sense of the word to traditional bush homes… Yes, this is where we will be staying  Each two people shared a building as our home for the night.. Concrete slab and walls, glass windows, a thatched straw roof….. no heat…..  no electricity…. Just two beds, running water and a three oil lanterns … This was not part of the experience I was prepared for!

Shortly after we got settled we were off on a safari, It took 3 Range Rovers to cover our group each heading in different directions.  We saw Rhino, Gazelles, Lions, Elephant, Giraffe.

After a cold, breezy ride around the park it was dinner time consisting of Apple/Potato soup, Chicken, Rice, Tomato/Union broth, Antelope, Cake

The final treat for an otherwise perfect day was traditional dancing and show by staff of Ndluva Camp.. and I got to dance with the team! Yes, you read that correctly… I danced a traditional Swazi dance with the dance team……  and yes, I have the pictures to prove it!!!

Ocean storm and 10,000 starfish. – A huge storm descends upon an island and ten’s of thousands of starfish are washed ashore.  A young man saw what happened and starts one by one throwing them back into the ocean. A elderly man walks by and notices the young boys actions and tells him. Young man you are wasting you time.  With this many starfish on the shore what good will your actions do? The young man says… ‘it will do goo for this one as he throws one it, it will do good for this one as he threw the next one in…’

It is that way with the children of this nation… there are thousands of children whom are victims of AIDS in situations beyond their own control…. Yet, all it takes is to take action and start one child at a time. Though the action seems small, the impact is huge!!!  It all starts with one child!

Today at the center it was very difficult to warm up to the children.  But, never wanting to waste an opportunity I started non-verbally communicating with a little boy who was playing on a slide. Once he noticed me he started to smile… and want to slide more…. Next thing I knew there were about 20 kids struggling for position on the slide.. All it took was to show some interest…. The rest happened naturally.

In another moment, this little girl was just standing by herself and I went over to her and knelt down. I just smiled at her and opened my arms…. She came over and wrapped her arms around me and just held on as I picked her up. (See picture)

One thing I noticed is that these children are fascinated by seeing themselves.  I had one little boy  who would just not leave me alone because all he wanted to do was look at himself in my glasses… how cool!